Rachel Horn of Bowling Green knows that sometimes she has had the sound too loud from her listening device through her ear buds, especially in the past six years.

"I probably was listening to music a solid four hours a day, five days a week, which is a lot," the 26-year-old woman said. "Whenever I'm studying I listen to music several hours a day. I probably have hearing loss from it."

Advertisement

Horn has tinnitus, which is ringing in the ears.

"It's a sign of hearing loss and damage to the inner ear. Ringing in the ears is one of the early signs of hearing loss, especially in young people," she said. "That's kind of the main sign I've made my judgment off of. I haven't formally been tested."

"We're seeing much higher rates of hearing loss in teenagers and young adults because of ear buds and listening devices. It damages the hair cells in the inner ear," he said. "A study shows that 30 to 50 percent of teens are starting to show signs of mild hearing loss. It's a lot more than you used to see."

Loud music and concerts can damage hearing

Attending loud concerts, being a musician and listening to music at loud levels are all possible sources of noise-induced hearing loss, according to the Healthy Hearing website at healthy hearing.com. In a study by the Australian government, 20 percent of participants listened to portable music devices at potentially damaging levels. A study from the Netherlands showed that 50 percent of adolescents using earphones used high-volume settings, and only 7 percent had a noise-limiting device.

"If you own a factory or plant and your workers are exposed to noise in the workplace, they regulate that noise," he said. "When you get above 85 decibels you see damage to the ears."

Use the 60/60 rule

"If you're listening to an iPod, you don't want to have it over 60 percent volume, and if you're listening to it for a long period of time you want to take a break every 60 minutes," he said. "If you listen to loud music you have no way to regulate it. You have to be cautious. That's where the 60/60 rule comes in."

"Limit the time. (Wear ear protection around) lawn mowers, leaf blowers, Beech Bend races, concerts," he said. "I wear ear plugs to (the Southern Kentucky Performing Arts Center). If you go to the customer service desk, you can ask for them and I have yet to find one that doesn't have them."